Best spinners in skating

[viennese]

Jeri Campbell, yes!

Travelling star camels into combination spins with gorgeous positions - camel, sit, layback. Such intensity and control.

I remember her from Evening with Champions shows, she was a queen of L4 spins before there was such a thing.

[orbitz]

The speed and centering of this scratch spin is just unreal.

Dorothy definitely has one of the best forward scratch spin ever. Both she and Paul Wylie have similar fwd scratch spin technique, which I think they both got it from Mr. Lussi. It's suprising though that I haven't seen any other skaters in their era with similar scratch spins.

Sasha's one-arm scratch spin also deserves accolades. It's gorgeous. I have no idea why she stopped doing it once she left TT though. It was as if TT gave her the idea to do it and then took it back when Sasha left her, LOL.

[briancoogaert]

If Tonya Harding is mentioned here, I think Vanessa Gusmeroli deserves it for her sequence of spins at the end of her 2000 LP : original entrance, variety, both direction, change of edge...
http://youtu.be/UU285dfI7u0?t=3m27s

[Marco]

I think Vanessa Gusmeroli deserves it for her sequence of spins at the end of her 2000 LP : original entrance, variety, both direction, change of edge...
http://youtu.be/UU285dfI7u0?t=3m27s

Definitely not the first, but she was one of the more prominent skaters in the 90s doing combination spins with the back spin first (thus inspiring that COP level feature). Ther other was Hubert but hers was atrocious.

[Marco]

Sasha's one-arm scratch spin also deserves accolades. It's gorgeous. I have no idea why she stopped doing it once she left TT though. It was as if TT gave her the idea to do it and then took it back when Sasha left her, LOL.

The position itself was similar to Kwan's position in East of Eden exhibition (1998 World Pro), but Cohen made it her own by turning it into a scratch spin. That spin really was glorious.

She did perform that spin again in Robin Lake at 2004 Worlds IIRC. Her not doing it in Nutcracker and R&J might have to do with the slowness and character of the music. The scratch doesn't really fit anywhere in those programs and doesn't quite qualify as a COP feature.

[MR-FAN]

Sasha's one-arm scratch spin also deserves accolades. It's gorgeous. I have no idea why she stopped doing it once she left TT though. It was as if TT gave her the idea to do it and then took it back when Sasha left her, LOL.

Gorgeous spin and a gorgeous position

The scratch doesn't really fit anywhere in those programs and doesn't quite qualify as a COP feature.

I can't wait for COP to finally reward scratch spins the way they should. They never cease to excite, they difficult, and they separate the good spinners from the great ones. One thing that always bothered me was Fumie Suguri abandoning her glorious back scratch spin because they weren't valued enough (a big mistake on her part, but the rules didn't help)

[manleywoman]

The speed and centering of this scratch spin is just unreal.

That hair is unreal too! :wow:

[skatesindreams]

The speed and centering of this scratch spin is just unreal.

Ronnie Robertson would be proud of her!

[iarispiralllyof]

I've been trying to find a clip of fumie suguri's amazing scratch spins but I've had no luck

[MR-FAN]

I've been trying to find a clip of fumie suguri's amazing scratch spins but I've had no luck

She did it at the end of her combination spin for almost every program she's had till 2006-2007. Here's an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX21Vo5LTKE#t=4m24s

[ioana]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Nicole Hassler yet. I will try to upload a video of her spins to youtube once I get home from work.

[ioana]

And here is Nicole with one of the best scratch spins I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGiuOd86D9M#t=02m26s

[Proustable]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Nicole Hassler yet. I will try to upload a video of her spins to youtube once I get home from work.

Hadn't heard of her; thanks for the upload, though. That was great.

[BigB08822]

And here is Nicole with one of the best scratch spins I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGiuOd86D9M#t=02m26s

Neat! I like her sit spin that she kind of morphed into a sit spin/scratch spin.

[briancoogaert]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Nicole Hassler yet. I will try to upload a video of her spins to youtube once I get home from work.

That's because I couldn't find any video that I didn't mention her !
She was the best spinner of the 60's. From what I heard, coaches from all over the World went to her practices at each international competition to learn from her.
Also, she was able to do spins of 80 revolutions. Only Ronnie Robertson could do more (according to a french book about Figure skating history).

Hadn't heard of her; thanks for the upload, though. That was great.

Nicole Hassler is one of the best french skater ever (with Jacqueline Du Bief and Surya Bonaly) : three european medals and a World Bronze in 1967 (4th at the Olympic Games). She was especially known for her amazing spins.

[ioana]

She was the best spinner of the 60's. From what I heard, coaches from all over the World went to her practices at each international competition to learn from her.
Also, she was able to do spins of 80 revolutions. Only Ronnie Robertson could do more (according to a french book about Figure skating history).

Dick Button mentioned her once he and Peggy started reminiscing about great spinners from the past after one of Lucinda Ruh's programs. Was there a story about her getting bruises on her elbows because her spins were so fast?

Either way, it's even more impressive she (and Ronnie Robertson) could do these great spins with 60's skates and blades that were almost flat.

[iarispiralllyof]

Dick Button mentioned her once he and Peggy started reminiscing about great spinners from the past after one of Lucinda Ruh's programs. Was there a story about her getting bruises on her elbows because her spins were so fast?

Either way, it's even more impressive she (and Ronnie Robertson) could do these great spins with 60's skates and blades that were almost flat.

I heard a freaky rumor that one great spinner spun so fast over a long career that it caused brain damage? O_O;
Scary...

[smarts1]

^ Are you talking about Lucinda?

[pinky166]

Ando, Leonova, Rochette. Yuna actually usually won with 5 triples because she only planned 6 and would usually make a mistake on one of her jumps in most of her FPs.

[MR-FAN]

Ando, Leonova, Rochette. Yuna actually usually won with 5 triples because she only planned 6 and would usually make a mistake on one of her jumps in most of her FPs.

Which makes her a bad spinner?